


Fleshwound

by Lady_of_the_Flowers



Series: Epistles [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-04
Updated: 2016-01-04
Packaged: 2018-05-11 19:16:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5638720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_of_the_Flowers/pseuds/Lady_of_the_Flowers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prince Zuko leaves a very poor first impression on Bato and Hakoda</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fleshwound

**Author's Note:**

> a flashback to the events mentioned in chapter 18 of Epistles 
> 
> "Have you heard of Prince Zuko?" 
> 
> "Yes," Bato said, "I've met him, actually. Why?"

Hakoda emerged from the ship’s steel maw slightly bruised and limping. He grinned at the men assembled by the docks, waiting for him, but to Bato it looked more like grimace.

“Are you alright?” The men asked when he got close enough, “What did he do to you?”

“Just asked a few questions, Fire Nation style. Guess he got tired of me once he realized I had nothing for him. It could have been a lot worse.” He looked around at his men—men who lived for him, who’d die for him, who took his word as the truth no matter how shaky the lie, “Let’s get out of here. Is everyone accounted for?”

“Yes, they are.” Bato said, and Hakoda met his eyes for a long moment before turning back to the men and walking them out of the port and back to their camp. His limp got worse as they picked their way across the rocky beach to the hidden cove and all Bato wanted was to offer his shoulder in support, but he didn’t. If Hakoda wanted to pretend everything was fine, then so would he. He didn’t have to like it.

“Katik, you’re on dinner duty. Make us something good.” Hakoda shouted once they arrived, ignoring Katik’s good-natured grumbling, and disappeared through the flaps of his tent. Bato wasn’t far behind.

“What happened, Hakoda?” He asked once they were out of sight. There were no secrets in camp, not really, but everyone pretended they couldn’t hear what went on behind canvas walls. It wasn’t so different from life back in the Southern Water Tribe, although Bato often wished they could leave the circle of tents and actually be alone once in a while.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Hakoda said. He sounded completely different than he had before, like all the strength which had kept him upright was gone. He eased himself back onto the furs, wincing, “Ah, shit. That hurts.”

“Let me take a look at your leg.”

Hakoda shook his head, “It’s just a sprain. I tripped as they were walking me down the stairs.” At Bato’s skeptical look, he said, “I swear.”

“I can still help you wrap it. Don’t get back up, I’ll take care of it.” Bato knelt beside him and began to check his ankle for signs of swelling, “What did he want with you?”

“Same as the rest of you.” Hakoda said, and hissed as Bato found a particularly sore spot, “He thinks they’re travelling with the Avatar.”

“Impressive, if it’s true.” Bato said. He got up and hunted through the medicine chest for clean bandages.

“I almost didn’t believe him at first, but now I suspect it is. That brat of a prince seemed very serious about it. Not that he’d know a joke if it bit him in the ass.” Hakoda laughed, but Bato didn’t.

“And the bruises?”

Hakoda sighed, “Those weren’t him. The guards knocked me around a bit beforehand. The interrogation itself was going fine until I made the mistake of telling him I was their father. It seemed to take him by surprise. He just stood there and looked at me for a moment, like he was trying to piece together the resemblance, and then he got mad and started yelling all kinds of stuff. Awful stuff.”

“Well, if the stories are to be believed, he’s got some daddy issues of his own.” Bato supplied, but Hakoda shook his head, eyes closed with pain or just remembering.

“No, it was more than that. It was personal. He knew things about them—about me—what I’ve done. Someone must have told him, but it makes no sense why he’d _care_ so much. It was bizarre. He knew how much they miss their mother. He knew what I told Sokka before we set sail, that thing about protecting his sister. Spirits, he even knew what I was doing when Kya died, fighting like a fool while she was—” His voice cracked, “He called me selfish. He called me a terrible father. And he was right.”

“No, that’s not—”

“I wonder all the time if I made the wrong choice in leaving them behind. I know I couldn’t have taken them with me, but maybe I should have stayed.” He ran his hands over his face, like he could scrub away his thoughts, “I’ve been such a coward, Bato. I thought running away to war would solve my problems, and instead I ended up handing new ones down to my children.”

Bato abandoned the medicine chest and knelt beside him again, placing his hand over Hakoda's. He rubbed his thumb over the ridge of his knuckles, feeling the warmth of his skin. Hakoda made a quiet sound and leaned in to him. It was rare for him to show this much self-doubt, even in private, and Bato wished he knew what to say that could make this right.

“You’re not a bad father.” He said eventually, and Hakoda looked away in mute disagreement, “You’ve had to make a lot of hard choices, but never once did you stop loving your family. That’s what counts.”

Hakoda squeezed his hand and stayed silent for a while, head turned so Bato couldn’t see his expression. When he spoke again, he sounded calm and collected, if a little forced, “It doesn’t matter now,” He pulled his hand away, sitting up, “I need to go over the maps once more before dinner, and then—”

“Hakoda...”

“Bato, please. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” He grabbed the bandages and make short work of wrapping his own ankle. Then he got up, waving away Bato’s offered assistance, and started pulling out scrolls from his satchel, “Call the other three captains in, would you? Better if we finalize our route for tomorrow all together.”

Bato sighed and climbed to his feet, “Sure.” He paused at the tent-flaps, “You know this conversation isn’t over, right?”

Although Hakoda had his back to him, Bato thought he could hear the traces of a smile in his voice, “No, I didn’t think it would be.”


End file.
